The Evil Overlord, The Reluctant Hero, Enemies to Lovers—tropes (common themes or devices) have become big in fiction. While we don’t see tropes much in literary fiction, genre fiction is proud of its tropes and advertises them, hoping to grab new readers. Like many readers, there are several tropes I love to read. Finding a book that contains one of my favorites is a guarantee I’ll be picking it up. But there are definitely tropes that turn me off. More on that later…

Romantic tropes like Forbidden Lovers or Second Chance Romance can cross over to other genres pretty easily, especially since popular genres like fantasy or action/adventure may include a romance subplot.

BookTok (a subcommunity of Tik-Tok), which often focuses on romances and the bestseller lists, Amazon, Instagram’s sub community Bookstagram, and other social media platforms are full of text and video posts sharing their favorite popular tropes in their newest read. (Great places to look for book recommendations!)

Mentioning the tropes in a story is a good marketing strategy. Readers look for them and often buy them. Listed below are three tropes I love (and will read any time).

• The Secret Heir/Hidden Royalty: I love this one. Either the main character knows he/she is royal, or everyone is unaware of it and a plot twist reveals it. By the end, it’s common knowledge and everyone gets a happily ever-after (except the villain, of course.) Either setup can be written well, especially with a loved main character who had a rough beginning or tragic backstory (Kiss of Deception by Mary Pearson is one of my favorites with this trope.)
• Soulmates/Fated Lovers: If soulmates or fated lovers were a sure thing, matchmaking services would suffer a bit. There’s something so simple about meeting someone who’s meant “just for you.” With this trope, there’s usually someone or something attempting to tear the couple apart and the angst is thick. (Sun and Moon by Desiree Williams is a fantastic standalone clean fantasy with this trope.)
• Chosen One: Some readers feel this trope has been overdone, thanks to the Harry Potter series. Even so, I love it. I love reading about the difficulties the character faces in this new position of power and the magic or weapons training that occurs. In a world where many are searching for meaning, knowing your purpose means you skip all the soul-searching. (My trilogy the Firebrand Chronicles, which starts with Spark, uses this trope. Many other series do too—Percy Jackson, The Hunger Games, and Divergent. I enjoyed them all. 😊 )

While I enjoy the above tropes, there are three tropes that turn me off. In fact, if I see these mentioned in blurbs or reviews, I move on to the next book.

1. Love Triangle: I really don’t understand the draw of this trope. Maybe it’s because I can’t relate. I’ve NEVER had two equally desirable men interested in me at the same time. And if by some weird quirk that occurred, I’d never have trouble deciding who I liked the most. Often, the female main character is a Mary Sue, totally perfect and unrelatable or so bland she doesn’t remind me of anyone. Maybe super popular girls who have to fight guys off with a stick get this trope. *Shrugs.* Any super popular girls out there who can comment on this?  There are always exceptions to every rule. One well done love triangle is All That We See or Seem by Kristian Mahr.
2. The Playboy/Alphahole/Bully Romance: Playboys are portrayed as promiscuous men who become reformed by putting away their wandering ways when they meet The One. An Aphahole is usually a super controlling, possessive jerk who, again, just needs to meet The One to change his behavior. I hate to be a realist, but a man won’t change for a woman. He has to WANT to change. Would you even want a man who had either of these issues, regardless of what he looked like? And Bully romances are an oxymoron, like jumbo shrimp or safe nuclear war. Why, why, why would you be attracted to someone who treats or treated you like dirt? Aside from the sheer toxicity of the situation, it’s not even a little realistic. Have these authors ever been bullied? Because as someone who has gone through it, there is no world where I would have warm fuzzy feelings or attraction for someone who put me through a nightmare. Give me a main male character who, while far from perfect, has some redeeming qualities so I can see why the female character is falling for him. While I love to give book recs, I can’t think of any for this trope.
3. Reverse Harem/Why Choose?: Sit down and buckle up, buttercup, because I have a serious problem with this this one. For the grand finale, this trope is my most hated (and ironically the one that pops up most in my Facebook feed. Why?!?). I will ignore a fantastic plot if this trope is mentioned in a blurb. Reverse Harem/Why Choose? often shows up in urban fantasy, shifter, or supernatural romances, as well as romantasy. In general, fantasy features unbelievable elements, requiring readers to suspend their disbelief. When the author includes a reverse harem trope, my brain immediately goes “what?” It becomes overloaded with too many speculative elements to overcome.

Men and women in everyday relationships like to know their significant other is exclusive. They don’t share well, which is as it should be. This is why the reverse harem trope doesn’t work. It takes the Love Triangle Trope and dials it up to eleven. All the men are gorgeous, all of them don’t mind sharing (which makes me laugh. Every. Time.), and the woman has no problem with the setup. She never says, “no thanks” or “I just want one boyfriend/husband/partner” and walks away. She just accepts it, and the story continues. Like I said, in order for a speculative story to work, there must be moments that are totally real. Those moments make the fantastical easier to believe. Another fact to consider: if multiple men (or women) are okay with sharing, that means the other person is only an object to satisfy their own needs, not a person to be loved, cherished, and respected.

Finally, while trying to wrap my head around the idea, I asked an author friend, and she clued me in to why the reverse harem/why choose trope is so popular. She said, “The main female character is in charge. She gets to call the shots and be in control of all of it.” It made sense. The female main character is the queen of her domain with multiple adoring love interests. I’m not anti-sex. While God made everything and called it all very good, He was also a big proponent of the one man/one woman relationship, too. (Mark 10:7-8) I think deep down that’s why I can’t reconcile the trope whenever I come across it.

If any of these tropes I mentioned are your favorites, please share in the comments and tell me why. And if you have other favorites, please share those as well! I’d love to hear your opinion!

**Tropes reveal desires and insecurities within each person. So, if you’re curious to find out what kind of book trope you’d be (if tropes were personalities!), click on the link or the pop-up to take the fun quiz, “What Book Trope Are You?”